Principle and Principal

by Editor
May 10, 2017 at 9:53 am

http://www.smartertimes.com/1524/principle-and-principal

From the final paragraph of a New York Times article about the television series Baywatch, now a movie:

To hear it from Mr. Berk, though, that additional pressure resulted in "incredible energy" on set that only enhanced the finished film. "Because of the luck and karma of 'Baywatch,' every failure and every creative gamble has led to greater benefits," he said. "It's a Buddhist principal: turning poison into medicine."

The word the Times wants in that spot is not "principal" but "principle." It's a subtle difference, but it's the kind of distinction that readers (at least this reader) hope and expect the Times copy desk to enforce. This is the story of stuff I learned in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade English. It's the sort of thing that you'd want professional users of the English language at a newspaper that purports to be the world's best to get right consistently and without fail.

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